Realisation
by Fourteen Lines
Summary: This is the edited version of the One-Shot I posted beforehand. It may have taken him longer to recognise his feelings, but eventually her warmth touched him in ways he never knew his cold heart could feel.


**Realization**

**Author's Notes:** This is a spin-off from "Memories Written White". I've removed the lemons since I received a warning that this site has a history of removing lemony stories. This scene may can seen as a short preview to "Memories Written White", but mostly, it is a scene I kept thinking of, and I don't think it will let me off unless I pen it down.

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"We have so many things pent up inside." She touched his wing softly, careful not to trigger any sense of discomfort in the beast. "…So many things we can never forget." She let the red spikes scrape against the soft flesh of her neck as she leaned in to rest against his muscular shoulders. A soft growl escaped his parted lips and she slipped her hands back under his arms and hugged him tight against her. "Strange, isn't it?"

Vincent had been going through these attacks a lot more often lately. During their Avalanche days, Chaos appeared only in desperate situations; when Vincent met with opponents his Death Penalty could not deliver capital punishment to. Apparently, their time here in old Nibelheim had taken a toll on Vincent. For reasons she could not explain, something within Vincent was disintegrating. Literally. His control over Chaos weakened, and she had to lock him behind the doors of this inn. On days when he seemed calm, Tifa would replenish their fast-wearing doses of Anaesthesia in the village clinic.

The worst part of the transformation was not Chaos. It was the pain. The pain when Chaos would take over only for a few minutes, before returning the body to him, only to repeat the cycle. Wounds opened and closed, before they are ripped open again. Helplessness was eating away at her own sanity. Helplessness from her inability to share his pain, to take the pain away from him. All she could do these days, was to hold him tight as Chaos tried to surface, and wipe the traces of blood away from his back where the wings would tear open his skin, kiss away the perspiration from his forehead after the attacks.

"It's okay, Vincent." She rocked him slowly, drops of his blood seeped through her clothes, causing it to stick to her chest. "You can share your monsters with me."Words trembled on her tongue and Tifa closed her eyes, not allowing her tears to fall. Chaos may have surfaced, but Vincent was fighting. Tifa would never leave Vincent fight a lonesome battle.

His body convulsed and he was thrown into spasms again. Chaos' wings tore the newly healed skin apart, and blood oozed from the open wound before the pair of devil wings gained enough momentum to throw Tifa off his body. The pain of his teeth elongating forced Chaos to roar and tear at everything within his reach. Slowly, Tifa rolled over to face him, her arms pressing onto the fresh cut on her arm. A memory played in her mind as she recalled the few words Vincent had said during their chase after Sephiroth.

"_I'm getting less human."_

Tifa threw herself back against Vincent's back, her arms once again pulling him close, her fingers tightened on his shirt. She allowed the tears from her eyes to fall as she willed away the resounding voice saying those four cruel words in her head. "No Vincent, you're still human! You are more human than anyone I've met. Please… Don't stop believing. Don't stop fighting!" His skin was burning hot again, and Tifa could feel Chaos' fangs dig into the flesh of her arms, threatening to rip it from her body.

More than the pain, Tifa felt a sickening sense of relief in her gut. At least, she could share some of the pain he felt.

Chaos sunk a few more bites onto her arms before his grip loosened and the heat emanating from his skin subsided. Tifa knew Vincent was returning. With a sigh of relief, she continued to wrap her arms around him, holding on to him as if he was her only lifeline.

"…T-Tifa…" The beastly strength waned from his arms and Vincent felt himself sink into the warmth of her embrace. "…Sorry." His eyes were closed, but Tifa knew he had some recollection from the attack earlier.

"It's okay, Vincent. Just sleep." With the remaining strength in her limbs, Tifa pulled the both of them onto the bed slipped under the blanket. "It's all over now." She had needed that reassurance more than him. In the silence, she scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his back. She could hear his heart beat calming down after the attack, and feel his warmth from under his shirt. Inhaling his unique scent of gunpowder and something distinctly male, the pain in her body was quickly dissipated as sleep engulfed them both.

A slight stirring by his side brought him back to his senses. His eyes flipped open at the pungent smell of blood; he had been around this scent too often recently. Tifa's blood. Jolting up, Vincent looked at the body sleeping beside his. It was one of those rare moments when his thoughts were cleared from the interruptions of Chaos, and Vincent scrutinized her physical condition.

Her hands were stretched out, and in the sitting position, it laid on his lap. With the help of the rising sun, Vincent held up her hand and looked at the caked blood covering imprinte of Chaos' fangs on her velvety skin. His heart felt as if a thousand knives were slicing it apart, and he found his lungs too punctured from the heartache to breath properly.

"Vincent?" His touch woke her, and she sat up on the bed, looking at him. He turned his back to her, and she could visibly see the guilt weighing down on his shoulders. Silently, she moved over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Vincent, it's okay."

He did not move, neither did he pull her closer. Tifa watched as he buried his face into his palm, his shoulders slouching more. "I have the restore Materia with me. These wounds will heal in no time." She turned around and checked her pockets for the Materia. After equipping it onto her gloves, she treated her wounds.

At the second gash on her arm, she was drained and had to turn to Vincent for help. He looked over his shoulders and nodded. Despite The injuries were his fault and he would set it right, no matter how superficial it may be. He took the materia from her hands and gently continued healing her wounds.

Her soft flesh was split open, punctured. These were evident traces of her being bitten by Chaos' fangs and he felt his heart crumbling under the pain and guilt he felt. The mere idea of Tifa getting hurt by him was unbearable, and he could not bring himself to look at her. With his guilt so apparent on his features, Tifa ran her free hand over his hair to comfort him. "It's okay, Vincent. It doesn't hurt as much as you think."

Lies.

She always lied when he hurt her; too kind for her own good. It only made him feel worse and Vincent stopped. "…Stop lying."

"Really, Vincent. Look!" She raised her free hand and shook it to prove herself. It made his heart hurt even more.

Unable to contain his emotions anymore, Vincent pulled Tifa into his arms and buried her into his chest to hide the tears that were escaping his eyes.

"I love you, Vincent. I've told you." She burrowed deeper into his chest and sighed. "I love all of you. If that includes Chaos, then so be it."

"Tifa… you're so silly." She pulled away from his arms and took his face in her hands.

"Only for you."

When their lips met, she could feel liquid bliss flowing through her body, electrifying her every cell. She loved the way his lower lips were thicker than the upper. The way it moved around her lips drove her mad. In that moment, there were no distance between them; with their bodies pressed together, Tifa felt all the guilt, all the pain and hardship melt away. His touch was magical, purifying every part of her being. Her head was blank of all thoughts, and all she wanted was his touch.

Purely on instinct, Tifa found herself pulling Vincent in for a deeper kiss. She parted her lips and allowed Vincent access, savoring his every desire as she smothered his muscles chest. The height difference between them was apparent even while they were sitting, so when Vincent pulled her by her hair and lowered them down, she sighed at the newfound closeness. It was bold of him to initiate any intimacy at all, for that; Tifa feared any miscalculated move would put him off.

There was no exchange of words. Only light moans of approval to his touch.

When she laid fully on her back with Vincent towering over her; her cheeks started to color at his touch. Softly, she brought Vincent's gauntlet to her lips and kissed it. She paid extra attention to not brush his claws against her skin, it was much too sharp. Under the lights of the rising sun, the metal shone a shimmery gold and she was captivated by its beauty.

Vincent's red eyes watched as she licked the metal. He could not feel her ministrations, but the act touched something deep within him. For the first time since they have been together in this foreign land, he felt truly connected; he finally believed that she loved him. Every part of him.

He felt blood leave his head when she looked up at him while sucking on his metallic index finger. Her eyes were moist, darkened to a dark maroon shade with desire. And he knew his eyes reciprocated the same need for her. "I love you, Vincent." As she mouthed those words, her brows furrowed and her eyes shimmered with more tears. That one sincere act of confession brought his self control completely down. He had wanted her for such a long time, it was unbearable.

At all appearances, he may seem emotionally aloof, almost cold. But his emotions burned hotter than anyone. Vincent knew Tifa saw that, and it was one of the main reasons for her confession a few weeks ago. Back then, he did not dare to return her feelings, partially due to her deserving better, but a larger part of him knew that he was afraid to go through love again. That wretched business had landed him into the abyss of guilt, of pain, and sin that could never be atoned.

But at her words, his pain, his every fiber of being was brought to their knees. He loves her. The truth had never been simpler. He loves her and he wants her.

His lips quirked up to the first genuine smile in thirty years and his heart had never felt lighter. "I love you too, Tifa."

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**Author's Notes:**

"_ooc:Removing some lines doesnt change that this is out of character, both of them. You know, other than the fact that neither this or the other story could have happened in canon. So why pretend it was in character, when it is just your version/fantasy of this characters?"_

Reply: Dear "ooc", though the review you left for the first version of this story held a good point, I wish to clarify my perception on "Out of character" in fanfictions:

(Before I reply, I would like to thank you, cordially, for reviewing and sharing with me, your thoughts on fanfiction and OOC-ness. Also, if you wish to address my reply, please log in as a member and we can talk through Private Messages.)

I know clearly, that fanfictions are written by fans, and could never happen in canon. Despite that, it doesn't in any way, stop us from pursuing the canon characteristics of the characters. That, I think is a vital part of fanficton . What for, write of a character already characterized by Square Enix when you are going to rip him/her of it? Yes, indeed, fanfiction is our "_version/fantasy of th[ese] characters", _but it is also a platform for us to dwell in our love for the characters, their personality included. Why use Vincent as the main character when you are going to write him in your manner? Then I would say, the story is mostly a fiction, rather than a fanfiction. Nevertheless, there are amazing fics on here that portray characters as a little OOC, of which I sincerely appreciate and enjoy. To me though, I write because I feel much connection with the characters, I love them, and I think as a writer, I ought to give the characters respect for how they are, therefore I make it a point to write them as canon as possible. That, is not "pretend[ing]". It is an effort to recognize the unique characteristics of each character from the game, and also a form of respect to the fellow fans who appreciate their characterisation and love the game as much as I do. The reason I am taking such a long time to reply to your review is that, I am, on some level quite offended by your remark. Yes, we all know that the scenes we write could never be true canon, but how does trying to portray them in their own uniqueness, a pretense? I apologized in the previous update that the characters may be a little OOC because I hold a deep belief that, in fanfiction, the characters should retain some (I am not saying the characters should be exactly how they are, but definitely need to retain some canon. I know OOC-ness is inevitable in fanfiction, especially romance, since none of it explicitly happened in the game, and the characters are too serious for fluff.) of their canon personalities, as we are directly importing them from the game. If not, then there is no difference between the story and a story from fiction-press. Again I emphasize, I am not trying to "pretend" the scene happened in the game, but I am showing my due respect to my fellow FFVII fans who are reading my fics because they love the characters for who they are.


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